In a recent 5-4 ruling, the United States Supreme Court has struck down rulings from lower courts in the state of Texas, which ordered the redrawing of some legislative and congressional districts, a ruling that was initially viewed as being racially discriminatory. This also means that the court is considering that there is the possibility that next year’s elections in the state may potentially feature districts that courts have already ruled were drawn with the sole intention of discriminating against minority voters.
As a result, Texas is almost certain to hold elections next year in these same districts.
The court’s four liberal justices – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Stephen Breyer – came out on the losing end in the ruling, meaning that they would have allowed the state to redraw the affected districts.
A statement released on Tuesday night by Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Austin stated that he always felt that the Supreme Court would have the last word on his own district, the 35th Congressional District, which he has served for nearly the past five years. Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the court’s decision, saying that the state should be allowed to use maps next year that were initially adopted back in 2012, which have also been used in the past three election cycles.
Additionally, Paxton also stated that the Supreme Court’s final decision automatically issues a stay on a district appeals court ruling from San Antonio as Paxton’s appeal is prepared to be taken up by the Supreme Court. The lower court’s ruling invalidated two of the state’s 36 congressional seats, as well as nine of the 150 House seats in Texas.
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